Protecting a range of elevations from 900 to 5,319 meters (2,953 to 17,451 ft) above sea level, Sangay National Park contains a wide variety of habitats, including glaciers, volcanic landscapes, tropical rainforests, cloud forests, wetlands, grasslands, and one of the largest regions of páramo (high elevation moorlands) in Ecuador.

[1] 327 lakes feed into a vast wetland system covering 31.5 square kilometers (12.2 sq mi).

[1] Because of its complex ecology and geology, as well as its outstanding biodiversity, the park has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

[1] In 1992, it was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger due to illegal poaching, extensive grazing, unplanned road construction, and encroachment of the park's perimeter.

[1] The National Park is an important refuge for rare species of the Andes, like the mountain tapir and spectacled bear.